Duplex lends strength to fifteenth-century palace

Duplex stainless steel is helping to achieve an historically accurate copy of a fifteenth-century architectural treasure in Berlin.

About the author

Joanne McIntyre is the Editor in Chief of Stainless Steel World magazine, and Conference Coordinator for the Duplex Seminar & Summit.

Originally built in 1451, the Berlin City Palace was heavily damaged by Allied bombing and eventually demolished by the GDR in 1950.

A new building, the Palace of the Republic, was constructed on the site, but this too was removed in 2008 once the German government voted to reconstruct the original Berlin City Palace. The decision was taken to reconstruct the original exterior of the palace, with the exception of one side.

In 2008 the submission by Italian architect Franco Stella was chosen to recreate the fifteen-century style of the Berlin City Palace. Some of the internal spaces in Stella's design follow the exact proportions of the original state rooms so as to facilitate their reconstruction at a later date, should this be desired.

“The 55,000 square meter four-sided sandstone facade is the largest of its kind in Europe.”

Securing the individual sandstone elements requires supporting and retaining anchors that are both corrosion-resistant and sturdy to minimize potential future damage. Lean duplex steel that meets corrosion resistance class 3, referring to the material’s corrosion resistance level as specified in the German building standard, was the choice of both the planners and inspectors in order to meet their exacting standards. Outokumpu is providing lean duplex steel from its Forta product family to the project .

The new building will have the cubature of the former palace and include authentically reconstructed facades on three of the four exterior sides of the building. However, the floorplan has been designed to allow potential future reconstruction of notable historical rooms. The building will house the Humboldt forum museum and congress complex, and is scheduled to be finished around the end of 2018.